Heartbreak Boy
by TwiAddictAnne
Summary: To him, I'm his best friend in the world. To me, he is my world. Story written for FAGE 11.
1. Chapter 1

**FAGE 11. Are You In…?  
Title: Heartbreak Boy  
Written for: Purlysurly  
Written By: TwiAddictAnne  
Rating: M  
Prompt used: "They were talking about me."**

**Beta Extraordinaire: Shae Maen **

**Disclaimer: Twilight characters are not mine; neither are 5SOS. However, this story? It's mine alright. **

**A/N: First off, let me apologize for the long A/N, but I promise the others would be on a shorter side. Hello and welcome to my lovely readers. It's that time of the year again. FAGE. And that means, you get to read a complete story in a day.**

**Usually, I incorporate ALL the prompts I get from my giftee, but this year, I decided to stick to one of her prompts. But that sounds too easy, right? So as an added challenge to myself, I based this story on one of my favorite songs from 5 Seconds of Summer, Heartbreak Girl. It's been some time since I did a song-fic. So I hope I did it justice. Have a listen to the song while you read.**

**To my giftee, Purlysurly, I hope you like it.**

**A tacklehug and sloppy kisses go to my fic-wifey and partner-in-crime, Shae Maen, for keeping me sane and beta'ing this monstrosity in a short notice. I love you, babe.**

**And to every beautiful soul reading this, enjoy. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. :D**

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**Chapter-1: Prologue**

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"It's just not fair!" he says heavily from the other end of the phone. "She should be suffering too."

"Of course she should," I agree, suppressing a sigh of frustration.

"Everything was so perfect, Bell. I don't know what happened to us."

_I know_, I want to tell him. _She's a bitch, that's what happened. _I don't say the words out loud though. I keep my mouth firmly shut, keeping my opinion to myself.

Perhaps my silence goes on for too long because he takes a shaky breath. "I'm sorry for unloading this on you. You must be busy."

"Oh don't be silly, Edward," I chide softly. "I'm always here for you, you know that."

"I'm lucky to have you as my best friend, Bella," he says after another few minutes of wallowing in his self-pity.

Hanging up the call, I let out the sigh I've been holding back.

Best friend—that's how he sees me.

That's all I'll ever be to him.

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**A/N: We have 8 chapters in total to work through tonight. So I'll be posting hourly updates. And yes, the chapter lengths will get longer as we progress.**

**Please let me know your thoughts and leave a review.**

**Add to the C2 for the event to read the other stories. All the authors deserve some love for their hard work.**

**See you soon.**

**Love,**

**Ann**


	2. Chapter-2: A Blind Eye

**A/N: Without any ado, chapter-2 awaits you.**

**Oh and Shae Maen is awesome.**

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**Chapter-2: A Blind Eye**

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"Oh Bella ... " Alice calls out teasingly from the entrance of my empty café.

I look up from where I've been practising the latest form of coffee art I'm trying to master and offer her a smile. Asking her to come in, I say,"You'll like this one," pointing at the cup in my hand.

She opens the door wider, making the small bell jingle softly, and steps inside, closely followed by Rosalie.

"Rose, hi!" I greet, a little flustered by the sudden appearance of this blonde beauty. Rose used to be a senior in high school like Edward when Alice and I started as freshmen. Maybe it's the fact that I could never trust someone so beautiful to be just friends with Edward or perhaps the fact that the way she carried herself looked almost regal, but I have always been self-conscious around her.

"Hi Bella," she greets back with a smile. "When I returned from my latest photoshoot, Alice gave me some great news, and we think it's worth sharing with you."

"Great news? About what?" I narrow my eyes at Alice, silently warning her to not try to pull another "Bella makeover" to seduce her brother.

Alice doesn't even flinch from my look. She hops onto a stool at the counter and grins at me. "Have you heard from my brother recently?"

_Oh dead Lord! Here we go._

"Alice ..." I let the warning seep into my tone this time, but of course she's deaf to it all. "Have you?" she repeats excitedly.

I grit my teeth and answer in a barely audible voice, "Yes."

Alice lets out a whoop and turns to share a meaningful glance with Rose. "See? What did I tell you?"

Rose smiles back to her. "Of course he would call her. He'd be blind to not see that she's perfect for him."

"Exactly!" Alice exclaims before facing me again. "So when's your date? We need to pick out a dress and decide on your makeup. Has he told you anything about the theme he's planning? I bet it'll be some swanky restaurant."

I hold up a hand to stop her from talking 100 miles a minute. "Alice, first of all, breathe," I say soothingly. Once she's stopped hyperventilating, I add, "He called me to say that he spotted Jessica holding hands with some guy as she walked out of the office. That's all we talked about."

Rose's perfectly sculpted eyebrows pull together in confusion. "That's it?" she asks incredulously. "He didn't ask you out?"

I shake my head. "He doesn't like me like that, you guys." I offer them a bright smile and ask, "What do you want to have? It's on the house."

As I'm turning around, I hear Rosalie mutter under her breath, "I guess he _is_ blind."

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**A/N: Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**See you in an hour.**

**Love,**

**Ann**


	3. Chapter3: Dates Are Overrated

**A/N: Ready for chapter-3?**

**Shae Maen makes my words look pretty.**

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**Chapter-3: Dates Are Overrated**

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A week later, Edward calls again.

Without any preamble, he asks, "Are you free this Friday night?"

I'm not. I have a book club meeting to arrange for Saturday morning. Friday night is supposed to be spent decorating the café. Instead of telling him that, I ask, "Why do you ask?"

"Go out with me Friday."

I suck in a breath and hold it in, trying to process what he just asked of me. _Did Edward Cullen just ask me out?_

"G-go out with you?" I repeat, needing to hear it again.

"Yeah," he answers casually. "A new bar has opened up a few blocks from my place and I'd like to try it out."

"Oh! Who else is going?"

"Just us," he says then asks slowly, "Do you want to invite anyone else?"

_Do I want to invite someone else to what surprisingly sounds like a date with Edward? Hell to the no._

"NO!" I blurt out. "I mean yes, I'll go out with you, and no, I don't want to invite anyone else."

The smile is audible in his voice. "See you on Friday night then, Bell. I'll text you the address."

It takes me a few minutes to grasp what just happened after he hangs up. And then I'm hyperventilating, wondering what I'll wear and what it'll be like to dance with him and whether he'll kiss me goodnight when we part after our first date.

I spend the rest of the week evading Alice, wanting to keep it to myself until after the date was successfully over. I dedicate my time to preparing the decorative book props for the meeting and decide to wake up extra early on Saturday to decorate.

* * *

As I get out of my car, I take a look at the bar. It's quite new and swanky and packed with people … not really my idea for a first date, but hey, when it's with your dream man, you don't nitpick about the place.

As I step inside, the pounding rhythm coming from the DJ stand assaults my ears. The image of fifty or so sweaty bodies dry-humping on the dance floor makes me avert my eyes. But then, I see him. Standing at the bar, wearing his favorite dark blue button-down shirt and dark-wash jeans, he takes my breath away.

I watch as he takes a sip of his drink, and I know without a shadow of doubt it's whisky neat—just the way he loves it. Then he turns his head and looks at me. I know the exact moment his eyes find me because his face lights up with a brilliant smile. He approaches me, keeping his eyes focused on mine, the smile still playing on his lips.

I only manage to take in a few large gulps of air before he's right there … standing before me. Turning the full force of his smile onto me, he says, "I'm glad you came."

"How could I not?" I answer, smiling back like a lovesick fool.

Without another word, he reaches for my hand and entwines our finger. A slight shiver runs down my spine at the intimate gesture. He leads me to the bar and taps the wooden countertop. "What do you want, Bell?" he asks me with a smile.

"Whatever you're having is fine," I answer then add with a smile. "Whiskey neat, isn't it?"

His lips stretch to reveal his perfectly white teeth and he nods. "You know me better than anyone else."

He waits for the bartender to place my drink before me and then clinks his glass with mine and then points somewhere to my left, toward the back of the room. "Don't look now, but there's the reason for our night out."

An unknown foreboding takes over me as I slowly turn around to look where he's pointing and my heart stops beating. There, standing across the room with her back against the wall was a woman. A beautiful, tall, blonde woman with perfectly toned physique—the exact opposite of me, and the exact kind of woman Edward dates.

Trying to keep my voice even, I ask, "Who's that?"

Edward shrugs. "I don't know yet. I've been coming here for the last two days and she's always here … by herself," he explains. "I want you to work your charm for me."

"My charm?"

He looks away from the blonde and grins at me. "You're the best wingwoman out there," he says with a wink, and for a moment I contemplate punching him to knock that wink off his face. But of course then he adds, "I'm lucky to have you as my best friend." And just like that, I'm caught in his web again.

Closing my eyes, I let out a deep breath and then knock back my drink in one go. "Send a martini to her," I suggest. "I'll talk to her and then I'm out of here. I've got work to do."

"I love you!" he whispers, but I pretend not to hear and walk off to talk to the blonde.

She watches me make my way toward her and I know she's been eyeing the two of us too. When I reach her, I plaster a smile on my face and say, "Hi, I'm Bella."

She looks down her nose at my outstretched hand and then reluctantly shakes my hand. "Victoria."

I step closer to her, getting a whiff of really strong perfume that makes my head spin. Trying to keep my voice pleasant, I point toward the bar where Edward is standing. "My friend thinks you're cute," I tell her.

"So you're not an item?" she asks point blank.

I shake my head quickly and add a slight snort to let her know how ridiculous the notion is. "God no! He's way out of my league. We're best friends."

Finally, her smile widens and she makes a move to walk off toward the bar. She takes two steps and then turns back to look at me. "You're right. He's way out of your league. Thanks for understanding."

* * *

After the debacle at the bar, I return to my café and on a whim, whip up a batch of cupcakes for the book club as a treat from me.

Dragging by exhausted body into my bed later that night, I huddle underneath the covers and finally allow my tears to fall for I've been left heartbroken yet again.

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**A/N: He's a heartbreaker, isn't he?**

**Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

**Love,**

**Ann**


	4. Chapter-4: Friend and His Girl

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting, but we're back on track now.**

**Shae Maen, I love you, wifey.**

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**Chapter-4: Friend and His Girl**

* * *

Two days—that's all it takes for Edward to bring his new girlfriend to meet the rest of our friends.

He enters my café with his arm wrapped around her waist and offers me a shit-eating grin before addressing the rest of the gang. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Victoria," he says, keeping his eyes on hers.

Victoria waves and giggles, pressing her mouth to the side of his neck as if to stifle the sound of her giggles. Then she says to him, "I've already met Bella. So why don't you introduce the rest of them?"

As Edward proceeds to do her bidding, Rosalie and Alice look to me with matching dumbfounded expressions gracing their features. "You knew about this?" Alice asks.

"Who the hell is this bitch?" Rosalie asks at the same time, her eyes flashing dangerously.

I just shrug like it's not a big deal. "I was there when they met."

Victoria's giggle reaches me before her claw-like fingers wrap around my shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Oh she's being modest," she says to the girls. "Bella was our very own cupid."

"_You_ set them up?" Alice's voice rises a few octave as she aims an accusatory glare at me.

"Not exactly," I murmur, trying to edge out of Victoria's grip.

Before I can come up with a polite way to explain what happened, Victoria lets out an overly dramatic gasp. "Eddie bear, we have to go or we'll be late. We're having brunch with my friends. Eddie's treat," she informs the rest of us.

Edward's scowl is fleeting, but I still notice it. "I told you I prefer Edward," he grouches.

She turns and pinches his cheek. "You're so cute," she babbles like he's a small child and then wraps her hand around his arm. "Now we really need to leave. Bye everyone!" She waves at us and then they're gone.

For a few moments, no one speaks. Alice is the first one to break the silence. "It's not fair!"

"I know, right?" Emmett agrees. "I mean, why do her friends get treated to brunch and not us?"

Rosalie sighs. "He'll catch on one day," she says to me apologetically. "Em, honey, we have a bigger issue than brunch with the shrew."

It's Jasper who makes my broken heart feel like it would beat again when he places a hand on my shoulder and says, "Don't worry, Bella. One of these days, he'll come around."

_Yeah,_ I think. _One of these days._

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**A/N: Purlysurly, I hope you're enjoying this ride, girl.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Please share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

**See you soon.**

**Love,**

**Ann**


	5. Chapter-5: One Step Away

**A/N: Just a reminder, the genre is angst, and according to my beta and fic-wifey, Shae Maen, it might be one of the angstiest fics I've written. **

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**Chapter-5: One Step Away**

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Despite Jasper's prediction, the thing with Victoria doesn't go away. As time goes on, I slowly start to let go of the tiny hope that one day Edward will see me as more than a friend.

While I manage to hide my heartbreak from Edward, I'm not so successful with my friends. It's Rose who finally decides to take action. One day, just as I'm preparing to close, she storms through the door with Emmett in tow. "Bella, close up. You're coming with us," she says in the way of greeting.

"Hello to you too," I greet with a frown. "Where exactly are we going? Dare I ask?"

"Dance class," Rose answers. "We've signed up for dance classes, and you're coming with us."

"Dance?" I blink to make sure this isn't some kind of nightmare. "You know of my coordination or lack thereof and are willingly asking me to join you?"

Rose rolls her eyes. "It's all in the lead, Bella. Besides, I think you need a change of scenery to stop moping around for that asshole."

I blush at being so obvious with my heartache. "I'm not moping around," I try to protest mildly.

"Give it up, Bella," Emmett tells me. "Let us help."

I raise my eyes to look at him with astonishment. "She roped you into this too?"

"I volunteered." He grins, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'll get to put the moves on Rosie."

Rosalie snorts even though her eyes soften as she looks at her husband. She turns to me and asks, "So? You in?"

I decide I need something to take my mind off Edward. So I nod. "Let's do this."

* * *

My determination to divert my mind dies down substantially when I read the sign hanging outside the dancing studio. "Tango?" I ask, my voice taking on a sharper tone. "You roped me into dancing a Tango?"

Rosalie smiles broadly. "The most sensual dance there is."

"Or the most vivid nightmare for someone with two left feet."

Before either Rose or Emmett can respond to my petulant remark, a smooth voice says from behind me, "The left one is my best dancing foot."

I turn around to find myself facing a man with straw-blond hair and bright blue eyes smiling at me. He holds a hand out to me and says, "Hi, I'm James, and if you'll let me, I'll be happy to teach you how to tango."

"Well, you know what they say … it takes two to tango," Rose pipes up from next to me with a wink. "Looks like Bella is all partnered up now."

James tilts his head to the side and offers me a polite smile, "Beautiful Bella, may I have this dance?"

With an answering smile, I nod.

Later, I learn that James is the dance instructor for our class. It takes him three classes to make sure I stop stepping on his toes.

As the fifth class comes to a close, he pulls me aside and asks me out.

Encouraged by my friends, I say yes, taking the first step away from Edward.

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**A/N: Soo … yeah. Tango, it is.**

**Hope you're enjoying the ride. I haven't been able to respond to reviews yet, but I promise to do so after I finish posting.**

**Please share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

**See you soon.**

**Love,**

**Ann**


	6. Chapter-6: Treacherous Heart

**A/N: I'm loving your feedback, guys. Please keep them coming.**

**And Shae, you're amazing, babes. Thank you for having my back.**

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**Chapter-6: Treacherous Heart**

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A month after James and I start dating, a lazy Sunday morning finds Alice and Rose huddled at a corner table in my café. As I bring their coffee to them, I feel a little lightheaded. It's the first time the whole group is getting together in over two months and today's agenda includes introducing my friends to James.

"You look like you're about to pass out," Alice remarks as she picks up her coffee and inhales the rich aroma of freshly ground beans. "This smells like heaven."

I take a seat next to her and shake my head. "Maybe this is a bad idea."

"Maybe this is a fantastic idea," Rose counters.

Alice quickly snaps a photo of the intricately designed heart I've created on her coffee. "For Instagram," she informs me and then adds, "As for James, I want to meet the guy who has literally swept you off your feet."

"But everyone will be here," I mumble sounding uncertain. "Even the boys."

"Good," Rose says with a devilish smirk. "_All_ of your friends need to meet your boyfriend." The way she stresses the word lets me know that she knows exactly who I don't want James to meet.

* * *

"He sounds so dreamy, doesn't he?" Alice lets out an audible sigh as Emmett regales the rest to her and Jasper about the countless times James has had to make up for my clumsiness without so much as a complaint.

Before anyone can respond to Alice's remark, a deep male voice that still makes my stupid heart skip a beat asks, "Who? Me?"

Rosalie looks over my shoulder and pulls a face at the source of the question. "You wish, Edward. No one's talking about you."

Edward scowls at her but before he can say anything, James enters the café. "I believe they were talking about me," he says as he sidesteps Edward and comes to offer me a bouquet of milk white roses.

"Hi," I greet him as I accept the flowers from him.

He smiles and leans down to place a kiss on my cheek. The he stands up straight and says, "There are thirty long-stemmed roses for each day we've been together."

"Why are they white? Looks like you lifted that off a funeral table."

We all suck in a breath in unison at the insult Edward hurls at James. "Edward!" I chastise in a hushed voice. "That was rude." The menacing sneer playing on his lips makes me do a doubletake. I've never seen Edward look at anyone that way … least of all, me.

James isn't a bit ruffled by the sudden hostile reaction to his gift though. He simply takes my hand and says sweetly, "White is culmination all the colors. To me, it symbolizes perfection … just like Bella."

His words spoken with so much sincerity makes the men high five him, and the girls sigh in response. But me? Instead of melting to a lovesick puddle, my treacherous heart clenches painfully as I watch Edward glare at us for a long moment before heading for the exit.

_Why doesn't my stupid heart understand that that man will never be mine? _

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**A/N: Loving someone from afar and knowing they don't return your feelings just might be the worst thing a heart can experience, won't you agree?**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Please share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

**Also, Alyscia wrote a three-shot story for me titled "Nothing ventured, Nothing Gained" and it's brilliant. It's got a tatted and pierced Edward and is now complete. I'm loving it so far. So read and leave her some love.**

**See you soon. Two more chapters left.**

**Love,**

**Ann**


	7. Chapter-7: Disguised Intentions

**A/N: I'm issuing a mild violence warning for this chapter. Although there aren't any real violence in here; as a reader, I feel like I prefer to be warned beforehand. So approach with caution … and enjoy!**

**Oh and this story wouldn't have been possible without my wifey, Shae Maen's support. Love you, babes.**

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**Chapter-7: Disguised Intentions**

* * *

Edward stops talking to me after that day.

He doesn't come to Rose and Emmett's anniversary dinner.

I hear through the grapevine—that happens to be Alice—that he's broken up with Victoria. I wait for the mandatory phone call from him bemoaning the demise of his relationship, but the call never comes.

Of course time doesn't stand still. Before we know it, Summer rolls into Fall, and the slight chill in the air gives James an excuse to wrap his arms around me whenever we're together. I try to be receptive of his attentions, but in the four months we've been together, we're yet to take our relationship to the next level. It's not like James doesn't seem frustrated when I stop his kisses from getting too intense, but he's a gentleman and never pushes me. And that's why I feel even worse every time I stop us from going there.

But no matter what, I just can't seem to get the look in Edward's eyes the last time I saw him out of my head, and I end up keeping James at arm's length.

* * *

"You know you could probably fake it, right?" Alice's question catches me off guard and for a horrifying moment, I fear that I've spoken out loud and she's suggesting I fake having sex with my boyfriend. Thankfully though, she keeps talking without letting me divulge the thoughts running through my mind. "I mean it's nothing major, but it is our engagement party," she hedges. "And you could fake being excited for being chosen as the maid of honor instead of frowning like you're trying not to throw up."

My frown deepens at her mild chastisement before I quickly school my features and offer her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Alice. It's just that it's been three months since ..."

I don't even have to finish my words before she rolls her eyes heavenward. "Of course! It's been three months since you last saw my brother. Are you afraid it'll be awkward?"

Chewing on my lip, I nod. "It's bound to be. Besides, James is here, and you know how he reacted to him that day."

She takes my hand and squeezes it tight. "It'll be alright, Bella," she consoles me. "He won't create a scene … not with our parents here. Besides, I think he misses you."

I feel my eyebrows pull together at her sudden admission. "Did he tell you that?" I hate the note of hopefulness in my voice.

She pulls a face. "Not in so many words, but when we all had brunch to announce that Jas has popped the question, his eyes kept going to the empty spot right next to me. Like he was looking for you."

"Or he was missing Victoria," I grumble.

"Or he was missing his best friend." The sound of his voice so close to my ear makes me gasp and twirl around to face him. There he stands, with his perpetually air-ruffled hair looking messier than usual and his signature half-grin on his lips, his eyes staring right at me.

"Edward!" The sound of his name falling from my lips come like a hushed prayer of desperation.

He takes a step back so I don't have to crane my neck too far back to look at him. "Hey, Bell."

Before I know what I'm doing, I'm closing the gap between us and wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him into a fierce hug.

"You ..." I start, but just then my phone starts ringing, and he pulls back from my hug to allow me a chance to check my phone. As I extract the phone from my purse, we both look down at the display that reads James, and immediately, Edward takes a few steps away from me, leaving me feeling cold all of a sudden.

"He must be looking for you," Edward says, nodding at the ringing phone in my hand. "It was nice seeing you Bella." And then, before I can respond, he turns and walks away from me … again.

By the time I recover from the sudden appearance and then disappearance of my best friend, the phone has stopped ringing and Alice has slipped out of the room, leaving me all alone. "There you are!" James calls from the doorway as he peeks into the room to make sure we're alone.

I give him a half-hearted wave. "Hey. You made it," I say lamely.

He smiles as he closes the door behind him and makes his way to me. "I did," he answers, leaning his head down for a kiss. "Shouldn't I get a reward for coming?"

I try, I really do, but at the last moment, my head moves to the side and his lips end up grazing my cheek instead of my lips. "Of course you do," I tell him, trying to brush off his advances and taking a quick step away from him. "I hear there's cake. You're a fan of sweets, aren't you?"

He frowns at me. "Cake? I'm a fan of sweets?" he asks dubiously. "Bella, I am lactose intolerant and I only take Sweet n' Low. You should know this by now."

_What?_ I blink. "You don't … like sweets? But I've been putting cream and sugar in your coffee since the beginning, and I also baked you cupcakes for your birthday."

He grimaces. "I've been giving the coffee to this homeless guy across the street. As for the cupcakes, they were delicious … I think."

"You think?" I retort, feeling angry at him for chastising me for not knowing him well when he has been hiding these things from me. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means my neighbor's dog seemed to enjoy it," he answers with a huff. "Honestly, your lifestyle is so unhealthy, I can't get used to it."

"Unhealthy?" I'm at a loss for words at his accusations. "So I'm not so perfect anymore, is that it?"

"Perfect? Hah! Don't make me laugh!" he sneers, his handsome face suddenly starting to look cruel. "You're a frigid bitch."

Anger and utter humiliation courses through me as I try to control my shaking limbs. I stride up to the door and wrench it open. "Get out then," I tell him. "If I'm such a bitch you shouldn't be with me."

"Whoa! Not so quick, you tease," he yells, blocking the door with his body. He grabs my arms roughly, his nails digging into my skin. "I have been acting like a lovesick puppy so I could win this bet and I am not going to let you cost me five grand."

"Bet?" I feel lightheaded at the implications of his words. "What bet are you talking about?"

A lecherous smile comes over his face. "Vicky, or Victoria as you might know her, is my ex. I owe that bitch a few grands and she said if I could fuck you to make you forget about Cullen, she'd forget about the money. But you won't open that snatch no matter how hard I try to romance you."

His fingers dig in deeper, making me whimper in pain. "James, let me go. You're hurting me," I cry out.

Instead of letting go, however, he tightens his grip. "It's because of that Cullen, isn't it? Vicky did say that his head got real messed up after I showed up. If you're waiting around for that dickhead to get come to you, you're wasting your time."

Struggling against his hold, my eyes fall on the open doorway behind him where most of the Cullen and Whitlock family stand with their mouths open … and right at the front stands Edward, his eyes looking like he'll dismember James if he thought he could get away with it.

Seeing him, knowing that he'll be there even if it was just as my friend, makes my cowering heart expand, and looking right at James, I say through gritted teeth, "Take your hands off me."

The sound of my voice seems to break the spell everyone's been under, and suddenly all my friends are there, the boys pulling James back, wrenching me free of him and the girls hugging me from both sides, supporting me as my knees give out. For the next few moments, there's utter chaos among the boys and all we can see are jumbled up limbs.

Then slowly, Edward extracts himself from the scuffle and comes to me. Wordlessly, he holds open his arms, and I let myself fall into them, knowing he'll catch me. I don't realize that the low whimpering sobs I can hear are coming from me until Edward kisses the top of my head and shushes me. "I've got you, Bell. I'm here now."

Through my tears, I watch Jasper and Emmett pull James back up to his feet, one of his eyes rapidly swelling and multiple scrapes and cuts adorning his face and hands. He snickers at the two of us and says, "That won't last. He'll get rid of you when he finds out how frigid you are."

Grasping the back of Edward's tux with both hands, I glower at him. "Get away from me. I never want to see you again," I tell him firmly.

Edward steps out of my embrace but keeps his arm wrapped around me as he turns to face him. "This time I'm positive she's talking about you," he says. "And not that you deserve to know this, but I'm never letting her go again."

As he says the last words, I lift my eyes to catch something much more than friendship shining in his eyes, and my heart clenches as I feel that it's for me.

* * *

**A/N: One more chapter left, people.**

**This chapter and the next was excruciating to write. But I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**See you soon.**

**Love,**

**Ann**


	8. Chapter-8:Twisted Logic and Mended Heart

**A/N: This is it, everyone. The last chapter.**

**Purlysurly, I hope you had fun reading this as much as I had while writing.**

**Once again, let me thank my beta and fic-wifey, Shae Maen for having my back and doing this on such a short notice. I love you, babes.**

**And Deonne has done an amazing job organizing this year's FAGE.**

**And last but not the least, a massive thank you goes to my lovely readers for taking the time to read this fic and trusting me with their hearts. You all are awesome.**

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**Chapter-8: Twisted Logic and Mended Hearts**

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After the debacle with James, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen lead the guests back to their backyard where Alice and Jasper's engagement party is being held. And after making sure that I am indeed alright, our friends leave to join the party as well, leaving Edward to tend to my bruised upper arms.

He doesn't say anything as he leads me toward his old bedroom and makes me sit on the bed before going to look for a first-aid kit. I don't break the silence as he puts bandages on the places where James' nails had pierced my skin. Just as he's putting away everything, my eyes fall on his knuckles—his bloody knuckles. "What happened to your hand?" I gasp.

"James," he spits out the name like a curse. "The asshole has a hard head."

"Edward! You need to have that taken care of," I admonish softly, reaching for his hand.

He snatches his hand out of my outstreched ones and stands up abruptly, agitation plainly visible on his face. Shocked by the sudden distance between us, I gape at him as he breathes heavily. "Edward?" I call his name tentatively.

The sound of his name makes him step back close to me, closer than before so our bodies are almost touching. On shaky legs, I stand up to my full height, feeling like I'd need all my strength for whatever is coming.

For a long moment, he doesn't speak. Then in a hoarse voice, he whispers, "Why?"

"Why what?" I breathe, my heart beating faster than a hummingbird's wings.

"Why him?" he clarifies. "Why didn't you come to me instead?"

A white-hot anger surges through me at his accusatory tone and without thinking of what I'm doing, I grab ahold of his collars and bring our faces closer. "Why would I?" I ask back, keeping my eyes on his. "You never would've seen me as anything other than a friend. You'd always date whoever you fancy and then come to me to mourn the loss when you break up. You keep saying your heart hurts whenever a relationship ends, but you never realize that I'm the one you come to seeking for a cure. I'm tired of going around circles again and again with you. I'm tired of the heartbreak." As I confess the last bit, the fire leaves my voice and my hands go slack, knowing that my admission might've just cost me my friendship with him.

He opens his mouth but I shake my head, needing to get this out. "Look, I know I'm not your ideal type. I'm not blind, Edward, but I just wish you understood that my heart hurts too when yours does. I know that after this, you might never want to see me again and I know it'll hurt so bad that I'd probably wish that I had never told you this. But I can't take it anymore. I just can't. I'm sorry, but I can't be your friend and keep healing your broken heart only so you can break mine when the next girl comes around."

Tears, unbidden and unwelcome, stream down my face, probably making a mess of my makeup, but I can't seem to stop them. All the hurt and resentment from the years I've known him and seen him chase one girl after another, comes pouring out of me.

I try to step away from him, needing to remove myself from his company to keep my humiliation to myself, but before I can take more than one step, his reaches out, wrapping his arm around my back, holding me to him.

"Will you please stop trying to run away from me and let me tell you my side of the story?" he asks, his eyes soft as he takes my chin to make me meet his eyes.

"What more is there to say, Edward? I get it, OK? I just ..."

"No, you don't," he says, stopping me mid-sentence. "You don't know anything, Bella. You don't know that when we were in school, you were considered too young for me so I had to act like a big brother around you. Then we all grew up and age became just a number, but you were Alice's best friend; hell, her only friend till Rose came back to town. So how could I jeopardize your friendship with Alice by asking you out? I couldn't, Bell. I wanted to though."

"You … did?" I ask with disbelief.

"God! Yes, I did. So many times I've been on the verge of asking you out, but you were my best friend too by that point and I couldn't risk us breaking up one day and never speaking again. I couldn't lose you so I tried to keep myself occupied with other girls. But that never worked. You were always in my mind." He stops to chuckle under his breath. "I think I even hallucinated of you after the falling out we had two months back."

A suspicion sneaks up on me, and I ask, "Why would you call me after your break ups?"

"Call it morbid curiosity," he says, shaking his head at himself. "I knew I could never have you, but I wanted to see how you would react if you knew that I was single again. I think I hoped you'd tell me it's OK if we date, but you never did."

Narrowing my eyes, I ask about the time he had practically stomped on my heart. "And the night at the bar with Victoria?"

He sighs, his arms tightening imperceptibly around me. "Was a mistake," he admits. "When I called you, I had had enough and I actually wanted to ask you out on a date, but then, I chickened out."

"And asked me to be your wingwoman?"

He nods, looking mortified. "I'd never been to that bar and never had seen Victoria either. Then you came in looking like you had stepped right out of my dreams and I just picked the first random chick I caught checking me out, just to make myself stop from reaching out to you."

"Then why did you keep seeing her?" I ask, baffled by his words.

"Your reaction to her. She's the one you disliked the most, and I could sense it from the very beginning. So I kept her around so that you'd get mad and finally tell me that you wanted to explore a future with me. But then, James happened."

"Yeah, James happened."

"I hated him the moment I heard about him from Emmett," he confesses. "Long before you brought him around to meet everyone. I had found out that he had joined the classes right when you did, and something felt off about him. I kept waiting for you to throw him away and come to me, but you never did."

"You just cut me off," I argue. "You never came around, never called or took my calls. How could you be so heartless?" I ball up my hand in a fist and thump his chest lightly. "How could you leave me like that?"

"Because my heart hurt, Bell," he answers, wrapping a hand around mine and holding my hand over his heart. "It didn't hurt over the breakups, it hurt with every time you didn't acknowledge the feelings I could sense between us. It hurt so much when you brought him to meet everyone and took his side. I wanted the pain to go away, and stupidly thought going away from you would help."

"It didn't?" I ask, a dim light of hope igniting in my heart.

Shaking his head, he says, "Not in the slightest. When I finally had you in my arms tonight, it felt like I could breathe again. I never want to lose you again."

My heart stops at his words. _So all this would be for nothing? After so much heartache, will we be stuck in the friendzone again?_

He must see my shell-shocked expression because he moves his hands to cup my face between his. "I'm not saying I want to be friends again," he tells me.

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I want to be more. I want to be your everything, Bell. I know I'm not perfect, but I also know that you hate white roses." His reference to that day from long ago makes me smile. "I know you prefer blue. Hydrangeas if possible, but you absolutely love wildflowers because you feel that they're the most neglected out there. We are not perfect, but when I'm with you, I feel like together, we can be."

I stop him by placing a finger on his lips. "I don't mind imperfections. I'd much rather have an imperfect future with you than a perfect one without you."

"Ah! But it wouldn't be a perfect future without us being together now, would it?" he teases with a wink. Just as I'm about to give my two cents about the matter, he lifts my face to his and presses his lips to mine, sealing our perfectly imperfect future with his kiss.

"I love you," he whispers once our lips are separated.

I smile and pull myself up to him to kiss him again. "I love you too," I whisper against his lips, my broken heart finally feeling whole again.

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**A/N: And that's a wrap, people.**

**Thank you for reading.**

**Please share your thoughts with me and leave a review.**

**It's past 3 am my time now. So I'm off to bed, hopefully leaving you with mended hearts as well.**

**Goodnight and God bless.**

**Until next time.**

**Love,**

**Ann**


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